Fruit peeling apparatus



Dec. 7, 1943; EwALD E'TAL 2,335,849

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' car A c Hm @222 Q. 5/20 4%! a/zzff a a Patented Dec. 7, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE 7 FRUIT FEELING APPARATUS Original application January 17, 1938, Serial No.

185,332. Divided and this application September 2, 1939, Serial No. 293,253

32 Claims. (01. 146-44) This invention relates to fruittreating apparatus, and more particularly to an organized machine adapted to receive 'a whole fruit and automatically to process the fruit for canning purposes.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an organized, automatic machine particularly adapted for the processing of whole peaches, especially of the clingstone variety, which machine is adapted to halve and completely peel the peach without the use of lye, chemicals or Water, and in such a manner as to preserve the natural color, appearance, odor and taste of the peach; to provide an automatic, organized machine for peeling a succession of half peaches irrespective of variations in size and shape of the peaches; to provide these and other objects of invention as will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail:

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of one embodiment of the present invention, disclosing a completely automatic machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing a part of the driving mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, likewise showing a part of the driving mechanism; I I

Fig. 6 is a plan sectional View taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3, showing part of the driving mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View taken on line '!-'l of Fig. 2, showing. the feed turret;

Fig. 8 is a plan sectional View of the feed turret, taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the means for cutting the peeling out of the stem end of the fruit, the View being taken on line 9-9 of I Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9, the view showing the cams that operate the cutter knives and the fruit holding means;

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view of a knife carrier, taken on line Hll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is ,a detail sectional View of the fruit transfer arms, being taken on line l2--|2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 13 is a detail sectional view showing the means for operating the fruit transfer arms, the view being taken on line I 3-!3 of Fig. 3;

Fig, 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13, but showing the mechanism in a different operating pos'ition;

Fig. 15 is a plan sectional view taken on line iii-J5 of Fig. 3,-and showing the means 'for imparting an additional movement to the transfer jaw carriage;

Fig. 16 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. '15;

Fig, 17 is a vertical sectional view taken on line ll|l of Fig. 15 and showing the transfer arms and separating blades;

Fig. 18 is a detail plan sectional view showing the transfer arms approaching the separating blades, and also showing the fruit halves disposed upon the blades in dotted lines;

Fig. 19 is a plan sectional view taken on line l9--! 9 of Fig. 17, showing means for transferring fruit to the peeling cups, and also showing the separating blades in dotted lines indicating the positions they assume when depositing fruit into the fruit cups;

Fig. 20 is a vertical section taken on line 2U2D of Fig. 17;

Fig. 21 is a sectional view taken on the line ll-2! of Fig. 1'7, showing the fruit disposed upon the separating blades;

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of one of the spreader means;

Fig. 23 is a view showing one of the spreaders in a downward position;

Fig. 24 is an exploded view of the parts of one of the spreaders and its operating means;

Fig. 25 is an exploded view of the mechanism for operating the fruit Spreaders;

Fig. 26 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion of the right-hand end of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1, showing part of the actuating mechanism;

Fig. 27 is a fragmentary elevational view of the opposite side of the machine of that shown in Fig. 1, with a portion of the frame broken away;

Fig. .28 is a fragmentary view showing the mechanism for expelling the fruit from the machine;

Fig. 29 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 29-29 of Fig. 2, showing the peeling head;

Fig. 30 is a front elevational view of the peeling head as it appears in Fig. 29 when viewing it from the right;

Fig. 31 15a sectional view taken through one of the peeling cups, showing the means for extending one of the inner walls of the cup sections;

Fig. 32 is a plan sectional view of the fruit" peeling mechanism;

Fig. 33 is a vertical sectional view of parts taken on line 3333 .of Fig. 32;

Fig. 34 is a side elevational view of the peeling cup assembly, being viewed from the left as shown in Fig. 33; and V Fig. 35 is a perspective View of the fruit cup extension.

Figs. 36 to 43 are diagrammatic views showing the successive operations on the fruit.

The present invention is best exemplified by reference to an organized, automatic machine adapted to receive a succession of whole fruit, such, for instance, as whole peaches, and particularly peaches of the clingstone variety, for continuously passing each of the succession of whole fruits through the machine; specifically, each whole fruit first has the peeling at its stem end removed; the whole peach is then split or divided substantially in half, which includes a division of the pit itself; the two halves are then automatically transferred onto spreader mech anism which deposits each half fruit into a fruit receiving means, which succession of fruit receiving means move past a peeling station where the peeling of each half fruit is automatically removed.

The present invention specifically relates to that divisible portion of the pending application of Raymond L. Ewald and Henry A. Skog, Serial No. 185,532, filed January 17, 1938, entitled Fruit treating apparatus, which has matured into Patent No. 2,280,813, dated Apr. 28, 1942, relating to the peeling mechanism for automatically peeling the succession of half fruits, including means for automatically reinforcing one of the peripheral portions of each half fruit adjacent the cut face during the peeling operation.

It is to be understood that while the present invention is peculiarly adapted for the treatment of peaches, certain aspects of the invention are not to be specifically limited thereto but are capable of application to other types of fruit.

Description of machine In order to exemplify various features of not only the broad but narrower aspects of the present invention, the same is described as applied to a type of machine disclosed in the drawings. It is, however, understood that such machine is but one form of the many different embodiments the invention is capable of taking, and that such illustration and disclosure is purely by way of illustration and not. by way of limitation.

The machine of, the present construction preferably takes the form of an upright, substantially square frame comprising four corner posts or angle irons 2, 4, 6 and B, suitably braced at top and bottom by cross braces l and I2. In addition, other hereinafter described cross bars serve as rigid bracing for these upright members. this rectangular frame, projects a supplementary frame adapted to be bolted or otherwise attached thereto, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 6. This supplementary frame is utilized to support the mechanism which initially receives the fruit, the mechanism which cuts the fruit in halves and transports it to the peeling, pitting, fruit discharging and peel and pit scavenging mechanism, the latter mechanism being supported on the rectangular' frame. A fuller'd-escription of this arrangement will be given. subsequently.

The upright frame hereinafter described is. provided on. a. relatively low level thereof with horizontally disposed shafts i l and i6. Shaft i5 is power driven through clutch mechanism H, which includes a drive pulley i8 adapted to be driven from any suitable motor 2! carried on. a bracket mounted on the frame of the machine. The clutch mechanism i? on the power drive is similar to that described in the pending applications of Mark Ewald and comprises purely a In a general way, extending laterally from clutch for connecting and disconnecting the electric. power source to the main operating shaft of the machine, and no portion of the present invention is concerned with the details of the clutch mechanism.

Shaft l6 carries a gear 20 driving another gear 22 on the horizontal shaft M. This shaft l4 carries two main cams 24 and 26 fixed on opposite ends thereof. Each of these cams is double faced so as to provide cam operating means on the two opposed faces of each cam. Cam face 24a comprises a cam track in which operates a roller, hereinafter described, of a vertically reciprocable slide for raising and lowering the main tool carrying slide, hereinafter described. Cam face 24b forms a. roller race in which a roller on a, horizontally reciprocable slide 23' shifts in a horizontal motion transversely of shaft I l, and carries on its outer end a bearing pivot 3E! linked to a bearing pivot 32 on an arm 35 fixed on a vertical shaft 36 having fixed bearings in the corner frame 2 of the main upright frame of the machine. This vertical shaft 36 is oscillated by the slide 28 for operating the peeling mechanism hereinafter described and also for operating the fruit discharging mechanism hereinafter described by means of cranks fixed to the upper end of this vertical oscillata-ble shaft 35.

The cam 26 on shaft l4 has a cam face 26a formed as a cam race in which operates a roller on a somewhat similar horizontal reciprocable slide 38 and corresponding to slide 28, which slide 38 is also provided on. its outer end with a bearing 40 for a vertical pin 52, to the lower end of which is pivoted a link 44. This link l l carries at its outer end a link 46, the outer bearing 8 of which is pinned to a vertically oscillatable shaft 58 which is mounted in the corner post 6 of the frame and in an opposite manner to the vertical shaft 36. This shaft 56 carries on its upper end a fixed arm hereinafter referred to, which in turn pivotally connects at its outer end to a relatively long rod running diagonally across to a universal connection in turn connected to mechanism which operates a gear sector reciprocable on a horizontal axis for operating the mechanism which actuates the pitting knives, all as will be hereinafter set forth.

Cam race 25b operates a vertically reciprocable slide 52 (see Fig. 2'7), the upper end of which is provided with a rod 54 having a rack tooth portion 56 operating a pinion 58 on a horizontal shaft 5!). This shaft 6%! is oscillated by the rack and pinion to operate a, cam 52 on the outer end of this shaft, which in turn is adapted through the instrumentality of a roller 64, mounted on a pivoted arm 68 to operate a horizontal shaft 68 having bearings on the outside of the vertical frame member and on a level of the main fruit cup turret, hereinafter described, and above the lower levels of the machine that carry the shafts l4 and IS.

The arm 66 which is carried by the shaft 68 has an extending portion 19 which engages a spring i2 mounted between it and the corner post of the main frame for normally pressing the roller 64 toward the cam 62. The shaft 68 operates the mechanism for (a) positioning the rubber pad over the fruit cup for vertically holding the peel therein, and for (b) oscillating the fruit discharge trough, preferably carrying this rubber pad. These mechanisms (at) and (b) will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

Asclearly shown in Fig. 2, the present machine provides a greater number of stations and operations than prior types of machines disclosed in the patents and pending applications of Mark Ewald. While the present invention is not limited to a machine having the exact sequence of apparatus for performing the different operations upon the fruit passing through the machine, the present disclosed arrangement is particularly desirable for the automatic treatment and processing of peaches and in the disclosed sequence of stations and operations. In the present instance these operations include:

1. A whole fruit feed station.

2. A peach stem cavity cutter and peeler.

3. A whole peach dividing and transfer station.

4. A spreader station where the cut halves are deposited in the half fruit receptacles on the main intermittently rotating turret mechanism.

5. A peeling station.

In the present organized machine, particularly as distinguished from the prior Ewald type of machine, it is not practicable to discharge the half fruit from the machine at the same station at which the seed-containing section is severed. This therefore resulted in the provision of a separate station for effecting this half fruit discharge. This in turn has made desirable a six half-fruit-holder turret instead of a four as heretofore provided. This six holder arrangement for the half fruit in turn makes desirable the disposition of single half fruit holders radially of the turret instead of in parallel pairs as heretofore; and this in turn, in conjunction with the six fruit holder feed-in turret for the whole fruit, requires means for spreading the fruit halves forming a parallel position of the suture axes of the severed halves of a fruit to a position where such suture axes converge and lie radially of the axis of the second turret, which has demanded a different motion of the half fruit spreaders as distinct from the single arcuate swing in the prior Ewald devices plus provision of means for driving the half fruit turret at twice the speed of the whole fruit turret whereby each half fruit holder of the latter turret is shifted say one hundred twenty degrees intermittently as the corresponding whole fruit holder is shifted sixty degrees to provide two spaced adjacent empty holders to receive the split halves of a whole fruit from each of the single holders of the whole fruit turret.

A second level of the main rectangular frame of the machine, bounded by the uprights 2, 4, 6, and 8, provides a location for the Geneva gears for driving the main half fruit holding turret and also the whole fruit feed turret, including the driving means therebetween, whereby the main half fruit holder turret is driven twice as fast as the whole fruit feed-in turret. For effecting this function, shaft I l carries between its ends a bevel gear Iii], see Fig. l, meshing with a bevel gear IIZ on a. vertical shaft H4 mounted in a bearing H6 (Fig. 3) carried by a cross frame Iii This cross frame is supported at one end by suitable vertical bracing connected to a cross bar 820 (Fig. carried by the Vertical upright frame members 4 and 8. The opposite end I22 of cross frame H3 is bolted to an end support by a projection I24 from a horizontal cross bar I26 carried by the opposite vertical uprights 2 and 6 of the main frame at about the level of the cross frame II8. This cross bar 926 is preferably an integral part of the substantially triangularshaped supplemental frame carrying th whole fruit feed-in turret and the transfer mechanism.

Shaft II4 carries a bevel gear H2 and also carries above it a gear I28, which latter meshes with a second gear I33 on a bearing I32 on the cross frame II8. Gear I30 meshes with a larger gear I34 horizontally fixed on a vertical turret shaft I 36 having a bearing in cross fram II 8. Turret shaft I36 is surrounded by a bearing I38, above which is a long sleeve I39 upon which is fixed a Geneva gear I49 having six slots, cooperating with a Geneva member M2 on shaft H4. This latter geneva I 12 has the usual circular periphery provided with a roller I44 for cooperation with the six radial slots aforesaid, for rotating the Geneva wheel and sleeve I39 and for'holding it stationary between partial turns. The upper end of shaft II4 above the Geneva member carries a sprocketgear I43 (see Fig. 6) driving a chain M8 running horizontally across the frame of the machine to a larger sprocket I59 fixed to shaft I52. This shaft IE2 is mounted on a substantially triangular frame l53 carried by and integral with the cross bar I 28. The. outer end of frame I53 carries a bearing for the shaft I52 and also has a heavy extension bearing I55 (Fig. 3) for whole fruit turret shaft I 53. Both of these shafts are vertical and parallel to each other. Shaft I52 extends upwardly a short distance and is provided on its upper end with a disc-like cam I56 of the tracker type, for operating the saw shifting mechanism. Whole fruit turret shaft I54 extends vertically upwardly toward the top of the frame and carries the whole fruit feed turret sleeve IfiI rotatably mounted thereon, Fig. 3.

Shaft I52 at its lower end has a roller element I58 of a Geneva movement fixed to it, and

sleeve I6! has a slotted element 569 of the cooperating Geneva part fixed to it. This slotted geneva has fixed to it the sleeve IBI, see Fig. 3, which sleeve in turn carries the feed finger turret I62 provided with six whole fruit'feed fingers.

The whole fruit feed-in station Concentrically within sleeve Iiil is the shaft I54, see Fig. 3, the lower end of which extends below the bearing I55, Fig. 3, and which has fixed thereto a gear I56 meshing with a gear I68 on the bottom endof shaft I52, whereby as the geneva I58 intermittently rotates the sleeve IGI, the gears I66 and I68 rotate the shaft Hit. The upper end of shaft I5 3 is provided with a crown gear I10 having radially extending peripheral teeth, and shaft I54 is also provided with a bevel gear I12. Crown gear I10 drives a shaft I14 through bevel gear I16, which shaft rotates an endless screw I18 for operating the fruit transfer mechanism, hereinafter described, while bevel gear I12, through another bevel gear I13, drives a horizontal shaft I19, see Fig. 9, rotating in a bearing I88 mounted on upper frame I82, which latter is a horizontal frame extension corresponding in general to the lower frame extension I53, see Fig. 4, and in which upper extension I82 the shaft I54 has a bearing.

The stem cavity cutter or peeler I93 rotatable thereon, and adapted to cooperate 

